Nominate an unsung hero

An Abington businesswoman says an unsung hero will receive a $10,000 check to go to a charity of his or her choosing.

Cody Shepard The Enterprise @cshepard_ENT

After 23 years in a business that relies heavily on volunteers, Mary Barrett Costello has learned that most people who work behind the scenes don’t get enough credit.“What I’ve found over the years is that it’s always the same people involved in all the hard work and doing the behind-the-scenes stuff,” she said. “We want to bring recognition to a person like that.”

Costello, the owner of Barrett’s Haunted Mansion in Abington, will give $10,000 to an “unsung hero” for a charity of his or her choosing as part of a Pay It Forward campaign.

The public may nominate someone they know who goes “above and beyond, but hasn’t gotten recognition for it,” Costello said.

Anyone can send a letter nominating a person in his or her community. A panel of people will read all the letters and pick a winner to be announced at a luncheon next month before the haunted house opens for the season. Costello said she needs all letters by Sept. 18 so the person can be chosen by the week of Sept. 22.

“It’s always the same people who do all the work, out of the kindness of their heart,” she said. “I just want to say ‘thank you.’ I just really want people to take this seriously.”

The person who is selected will receive a $10,000 check to go toward “a charity that they feel is important to them,” she said.

The haunted house relies on volunteers throughout the 27 nights it’s open from late September to early November. Groups apply to be actors in the haunted house for a night and bring 30 to 35 volunteers with them. About 20 percent of that night’s profits go to the charity, group or organization that volunteered.